big_johnson

i have rancho RS9000x (9 way adjustable) shocks and KYB Gas struts on mine, they vastly improved ride quality. Rancho's won't be up quite to bilsteins quality, but they're also cheaper. Another thing that may be causing your oscillation is bad rear control arm bushings. Do a search in the 96+ forum and you'll find plenty of info.

well, with most poly bushings it is a lot of effort to make them fit (that's why 3 out of the 4 shops I called to have them pressed in couldn't/wouldn't do it). I do beleive they are the same size, many of the guys over on AC's board have replaced the uppers and lowers with the same size bushings, and it works out. I only replaced the lowers, they fit well, and they stopped my swaying issues.

Yeah, H233B is the type of axle found under the pathfinders (just like jeeps have Dana 44's, 35's etc.), older pathy's had 31 spline shafts, newer ones have 33 splines. ARB is the only brand to make a locker for the 33 spline H233B.

PM squam1 and kmgar99. Those two have installed AC's springs and can give good feedback. From what I know, the only modification you may have to make with the springs is to adjust the camber with a kit. You will also want to install manual hubs, due to the more extreme CV angles the longer coils create. Your struts will top out more often, but no major issues

Just wait for L&P's, it should be pretty sweet...

Very true...I'm not in any hurry to get one (broke college kid), but I'm very excited to see the finished product. I know that Lee and Phil have been having some personal issues and still have dealt with the business very well, they're just doing all they can for the time being. I'm just dying to see an R50 stateside with more than 2-3" lift (besides keith's creation )

There is a guy on here, Blizzardking I beleive his name is (a moderator too...?), who switched from a WD21 to an R50. I remember him saying he liked the power and the ride better. But since you're considering an 01, that should have even more power due to the 3.5 in there. The only problem almost everyone has had with their R50's is the rear bushings going bad, but I don't know if this is an issue with the 01's, since Nissan supposedly fixed the problem with the 99.5 redesign. As for offroadability, I really don't think you'll lose that much. Sure, you can't do a body lift, but with L&P's new lifts (still haven't seen one yet ), you can have all the height/clearance you need. The R50's also have the beefier 33 spline H233B, though you can only get an ARB for it. there is also a guy over on AC's board, intensem1rider, who made the switch. He seems to have no regrets. Hope this helps

I beleive for the 97 SE, the gears were 4.636. On the XE's and LE's with smaller tires, the gears were 4.363.

The only locker available for the R200A front differential is the ARB air locker. And Mark's right about mechanical locker issue, they can be dangerous on higher speed corners when your hubs are engaged, and on the trail, tight corners can be an issue. But you won't have to worry about that, since you can only get the ARB

Yeah, you could either get a single in/dual out muffler and switch it around like vengeful did, or you could get a standard single in/out muffler and just have the exhaust shop weld the two inlet pipes into a single before the muffler, then attach it. You can look on the flowmaster website and get some part numbers for the muffler you want.

Sounds like it should work out well. One question for the pathy owners though - the stock XE wheels are 15x6, right? So going to a 15x8, even with close to stock BS, will still push the wheels outboard a bit. Not much, they will still likely not stick out beyond the fenders, but its just something to note. Of course, I think a wider stance greatly improves the look of any truck, so I wouldn't mind.

dang, those look sick! It think this makes you one of about 5 or 6 R50's (stateside) with larger than 31's. Nice!

Softer trail ride, huh? most people want it stiffer, but its a personal preference thing I guess. Another thing, are you talking about shocks or struts? In your first post you called them shocks, but then you referred to them as struts. Struts are up front, shocks out back. If you are talking about struts, then your best bet would probably be Nissan replacements, since I beleive that almost every aftermarket replacement out there would be stiffer than stock.

it ought to fit fine, since the 255/70 is only about a 30" tire. My stock size was 265/70R15, which equates to a 30" tall tire, and it fits with room to spare. Of course, Nissan could have somehow changed the size of the spare tire area between my 97 and your 02 (unlikely, but who knows). Another thing to consider would be to get 265/70R16's. Those would be equivalent to 31x10.5's, and many people have stuffed those into the spare tire carrier under the trunk. That size would fit on your truck with a bit of rubbing at full lock. But if you have already decided on the 255/70's, then I would say that the spare would fit relatively easily.

I use 87 octane, but I'm about a mile high here (altitude-wise), so its okay. I have the 3.3, but for the VQ35, I'd say either 91 or 89

I don't think it would hurt the transmission really, but it might cause a bit more wear on the clutch, since you would probably have to burn it a but more to get a smooth start. I also have a manual tranny, but I shift at ~3K rpms, so the short gearing doesn't really bother me

yep, 6 on 5.5, 6 bolts and 5.5" diameter. All you really have to know is that less backspacing means a wider stance, and the same goes for offset. You wouldn't really have to cut anything to give it a wider stance, just get different rims

well, if you are going to do a 3+3 lift, stock height tires will look pretty small. With those lifts you could run a 33x12.5 tire on a 15x8 rim. You can get black rockcrawler rims for about $40 each.

Plugs on top of the shocks? Are they factory shocks? I have Ranchos with a knob at the top, but I don't think thats what you are talking about. Did your Pathfinder come with the adjustable suspension? I read somewhere that Nissan included that option on some R50's, but have never actually heard of someone who had it. Maybe a picture would be useful

Well, Lexus' are supposed to be extremely quiet, they are luxury vehicles. And I dont think the Kia has enough "oomph" to really make any noise. I think the engine noise is normal, though I have the 3.3 so I can't say for sure. As for the 4wd question, are you referring to the All wheel drive mode or the part time 4wd? If the former, then you probably wouldn't notice much of a difference on dry pavement, just in slippery conditions. If the latter, then you should notice an increased steering effort, like the truck doesn't really want to turn. Also, you should not use the part time 4wd on dry pavement, it will mess up your drivetrain. As for gas, you should leave it in 2wd if you want to conserve some. Any time you're in 4wd/awd, you will use considerably more gas.

It depends on the tools you have and your mechanical skills. But 500-600 is too high anyways. The rear of the car should be pretty simple, even if you have only basic knowledge/skills. The front is definitely more involved. When I got my shocks/struts, I installed the shocks myself but had a shop do the struts. I probably could have done it, but would have taken easily a whole day, and I got a good price anyways. But here's a good site for pics/instructions of installation: project Pathfinder (not my pathy). Also, you will need an alignment, and only a shop can do that

Umm, I think he meant VG33E headers. In that case, the only company that has ever made some for the R50 is Stillen, but those were discontinued after a short run. SLR makes "offroad only" headers for the Xterra and Frontier 3.3, but they would not be a direct bolt up to a pathy 3.3

245 to the wheels? I think not. Stock 3.5 pathy is 240 @ the crank, factor in ~20% drivetrain loss, that equates to 192 at the wheels. So according to your calculations, with 245 @ the wheels, you are pushing 306hp at the crank, an increase of 66 crank hp with an intake? Once again, I think not

If you want a coil lift, 4x4parts.com makes a 2" spring lift that quite a few people have. L&P Performance has 3" and 6" lifts out, but no one that I know of has ordered one yet, and no pictures are available of what the final lift looks like. As far as grille guards, the ones under $300 are few and far between. I have never heard of the brand that makes that $200 one, but it looks decent. I personally have a manik ($390). If you really want to make your rig trail worthy, I would suggest getting a winch mount bumper (instead of the grille guard), they serve as great front end protection, and you can (obviously) also mount a winch in one. No one makes a front mount receiver for our pathfinders, possibly because of the unibody construction. Some people are trying to prototype one though, last I heard. By the way, welcome to the forum, its good to see another colorado pathy around here

exhaust, the muffler shop will just make a new one anyways